HOTEL LESLIE (1910-1921) 1206 Fourth Street By Barbara Mask The red brick building at 1206 4th Street once had the address of Lincoln Way. Ful - ton’s Main Street during the 1920s and 1930s used the Lincoln Way name for its addresses; sometimes spelled Lincolnway. The 1913 Lincoln Highway entered our city at the east end of 15th Avenue and turned north on 4th Street to 10th Avenue. Thousands of travelers passed by 1206 and the porch, constructed in the same year the Lincoln Highway was or - ganized, remained a popular place to watch automobiles, filled with tourists, pass by. The porch remains a popular place to still watch downtown activities; such as festivals and pa - rades. There appears to have been a building on this property prior to 1913 because L. E. Matthews was a proprietor here in 1896-98 before he was elected as a Whiteside County official. Research has revealed that the owner, Claus Bruins, a retired farmer is the one re - sponsible for the building named, THE BRU - INS, still evident today, in concrete near the top of the east side. Claus Bruins rebuilt the hotel/boarding house in ; one century ago. The current structure remains similar to the im - Hotel Leslie in August 1913 with Leslie family members provements made in in 1913. The detailed plan was reported in the Fulton Journal on April 11, 1913. “The contract was awarded to A. W. Mead by the owner, Claus Bruins, for an addition and extensive improvements. The proposed plans were for the building to have a forty-seven-foot frontage on Fourth Street . It will be two stories high, the front built of red pressed brick. The addition on the south will be twenty-four feet by thirty feet deep. The frame part on the rear will be torn down and a brick structure the same size, two stories high, will be built adjoining the main building. The front will have two plate glass windows and a basement room for a barber shop. There will be two bath rooms. The entire building will be heated by steam and will have the lat - est conveniences. The front of the present building is rather old-fashioned and the brick work will be removed and a modern pressed brick front with plate glass show windows will be put in place. The blue prints show a handsome front and when completed it will be THE BRUINS was built in 1913 and its exterior has the same appearance today in 2013. The vintage photo above taken of the Leslie family in August 1913 was a fine hotel. This will be a valuable addition on the front porch. The concrete balustrade is still intact. The plate-glass win - to the business blocks on Fourth Street,” ac - dows installed in 1913 have been replaced with sets of three individual ones cording to that article. and topped with stained-glass transom windows. Currently, the 4-unit apart - ment building is owned by Linda and Robert North. The wedding of Clarence Leslie and Marie Gilbert (Jacqueline Leslie Pollard’s parents) took place here on March 11, 1920. His father, William S. Leslie was the proprietor of the ‘Leslie Hotel and Rooming House.’ (See information at bottom of the page.) The newspaper announcement stated that the love affair was the outgrowth of the bride’s visiting at the Leslie Hotel in Fulton and a Dr. Tilton’s home in Clinton, Iowa. “The happy couple will make their home at Fulton.” This writer could not determine when or who converted the hotel/boarding house into apartments, but a well-known Fulton couple, Louise and Harold Klooster, lived there during the first year of their marriage in 1952-53. They lived in the south apartment with laundry facilities in the base - ment. Other residents who called 1206 4th Street their home for many years HOTEL LESLIE were Waneta Barsema and Winnie Loftus. Waneta 1206 4th street (LincoLn Way) lived in the south apartment for 14 years and lived oWners: their when a fire occurred in an upper apartment The property ownership changed many times before in June, 2004. The 18-inch walls (1913 rebuild ac - Oliver Finch purchased it. tually created two buildings) prevented damage 1912 —O. E. Finch sold to Jacob Musk $2600 (in - into the other apartments. Another long-term res - cluded a fine auto) ident, Winnie Loftus, lived in the north apartment. 1913 —April 11 & 18—improvement plans detailed- Her residence was known by all the downtown cats -Jacob Musk to Claus Bruins $3000 (rebuilt in 1913 whom she faithfully fed on a daily basis. by Bruins) paid sewer tax and paving levy At an unknown date, the plate-glass windows 1915 —July 23--Claus Bruins to Jacob Musk ($6000) installed a hundred years ago were replaced with March 3, 1911 a set of three windows in both the north and south 1915 —November 9—Jacob Musk to Charles Voss side apartments. $6200 (part payment 24 acres of land near the bluffs The stain-glass tran - for $2000). His sons, Charles C. and George, inherit soms are still attrac - it upon his death. They sold it to Homer Miller in tive and intact in 1929. both apartments that 1930 —Amelia Miller inherits the property and owns are fronted on 4th it for 17 years. Street. 1947 —John Isenhart & hiers 1976 —Isenhart heirs sold it to George and Loretta Wiebenga. 1994 —current owners--Bob and Linda North pur - chase property from George and Loretta Wiebenga January 23, 1925

HOTEL LESLIE ProPrietors:

L. E. Mathews 1896-1898 William S. Leslie 1910-1921

1-1-22 Peter Kopenga 1 year Hotel Fulton paid $1400 for equipment

George Goff and Roy Jamison Changed name to Hotel Ful - ton from Hotel Bruins Brief ownership 1921-1922 Jacqueline Leslie Pollard spent several years of her childhood living on Fulton's Fourth Street. 1-23-23 W. M. Tucker Her grandfather, William S. Leslie, was the pro - Tucker Inn prietor of the Hotel Leslie for eleven years (1910-1921). Her mother and father were Chicken dinner 75 cents married in the Hotel (See wedding announcement right). Later, her grandfather pur - 5-15-25: Chicken dinner chased a pool hall at 1109 4th Street and the family lived in the upstairs apartment. 60cents She graduated from Fulton High School in 1939 and recently she and other classmates 6-9-25: Kiwanis met there met to discuss their recollections of classmate, Allen Wiersema, who was one of Ful - Bobby Toole was the program ton's WWII Fallen Heroes.